Something for the Weekend: Liverpool's conquerors under scrutiny, QPR feel the pressure after big spend and Beckham roadshow rolls on as PSG visit Toulouse

Every Friday, Michael Walker picks 10 things to look forward to over the weekend.

This week: David Beckham rolls into Paris, two former Premier League clubs and their long fall from glory, clubs averaging less than one point a game must improve and the reasons for a rare 3.15pm kick-off.

1 Go back to the inaugural Premier League season and Sheffield United versus Coventry City was a top-flight fixture. On Friday night the two fallen clubs meet in the third division with neither looking guaranteed to win promotion.

United, battered financially, have just sold their top scorer, Nick Blackman to Reading, while Coventry, though recovering under Mark Robins are 12 points off second place and have played two games more than Doncaster Rovers.

In November 1992 at Bramall Lane, the score was 1-1. The attendance was 15,625.

Giants killed: Coventry City and Sheffield United, meeting here in a 1998 FA Cup tie, were once in the Premier League. They will meet this weekend both languishing in League One

2 The foot of League Two, the old fourth division, is always a place of worrying fascination. Bristol Rovers, 91st in the league, ‘entertain’ Barnet, 88th on Friday. They are separated by a point. Under new manager John Ward, Rovers have just won two consecutive away games.

3 The first game in England on Saturday is at Loftus Road, where QPR face Norwich City in what looks like a nine-pointer for the home team.

Imagine if after all the spending QPR do not win? Next is a trip to Swansea for them, followed by Manchester United at home.

But Norwich appear insecure. They have two points from their last seven league games. But they did beat QPR in this fixture last season.

4 Last season QPR finished fourth bottom of the Premier League with 37 points. Aston Villa are 17 off that total and take their wounded squad to Goodison Park. Villa have scored just 20 goals in their24 games. Everton have 19 at home.

5 In their seven Premier League seasons to date, Wigan have finished fourth bottom only once – in 2007. It took 38 points to keep them up then and 38-40 is possibly the target for survival in what is an increasingly competitive bottom half of the table. Wigan, 20 points, host Southampton, 23.

Clubs averaging less than a point per game, suddenly must find improvement. Wigan have form in this department.

Man mountain: QPR broke their transfer record to have Chris Samba (pictured) shore up a leaky defence

A week to forget: Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert (pictured) is under real pressure after three defeats in a row, two of which were to lower league opposition

6
Below the Premier League relegation zone are the hungry Championship
leaders Cardiff City. The red Bluebirds have lost just one of their last
13 league games and have won 10 of them. They are ever closer to
resuming local derbies with Swansea City.

Last
season Southampton needed 88 points for automatic promotion but the
seasons before 81 and 80 would have sufficed. Cardiff have 60, with 18
games left.

But the
Welshmen face a test at Leeds. Tottenham could not pass it in the FA
Cup. Leeds are six points off the play-offs – effectively seven
including goal difference – and need a run of wins to convince a fanbase
sceptical about the benefits of the recent takeover. Leeds fans don’t
fancy becoming Norwich City’s feeder club.

By the skin of their teeth: Wigan have only once finished 17th in a Premier League season, in 2006/07

Marching forward: Malky Mackay's (pictured) Cardiff City have only lost one of their last 13 league games

7 In League One, some, if not all, eyes will be on Walsall. This is not because Walsall have won six of their last eight, but because today the opponents are Oldham Athletic. One week on from the heroics against Liverpool in the FA Cup, Paul Dickov’s management will again be under scrutiny – from his chairman – in the league.

Oldham have not won in League One since December 8 and there have been eight games since. They’ve lost seven, which is probably why Brendan Rodgers thought he could play Sebastien Coates at centre-half last Sunday.

Cup heroics: Despite their win over Liverpool, Oldham manager Paul Dickov is under pressure because of stuttering league form

8 In the Conference there is an unusual 3.15 kick-off at the top where Newport County play Kidderminster Harriers. It’s third versus fifth.

Newport have explained: 'This will allow fans time to get into the ground after the rugby and alleviate congestion at the turnstiles.'

Talking tactics: Louis Page (left), manager of Newport County, and his trainer, having a tactical talk with his players in 1936

9 There is a 12.45 kick-off in the Scottish Cup too, though whether there will be pressure on Tannadice’s turnstiles is uncertain. Dundee United, who have just appointed Jackie McNamara as their new manager, host Rangers.

Normally Rangers would take around 6,000 fans to the east coast but these have not been normal times for Rangers or Scottish football. Because Dundee United were one of those opposed to the old Rangers retaining their place in the SPL last summer, Rangers fans have decided to boycott Tannadice. The aim is to deprive Dundee United of money as well as to register a complaint. Even if it is quiet, Rangers will be heard.

Old Firm: Jackie McNamara (pictured), who played more than 300 times for Celtic, will face Rangers in his first game in charge of Dundee United

10 Back to tonight. Down in Toulouse in that part of France which cares more about rugby than football, Paris Saint-Germain arrive in town. PSG lead the French league on goal difference from Lyon. They already led the column inches by kilometres and that was before the David Beckham development.

Parisien: David Beckham (pictured) stole all the headlines with a sensational move to PSG